statutas

Statuta is the Latin plural noun derived from statutum, meaning laws or decrees that have been enacted by an authority. In historical and legal writings, statuta is used to refer collectively to formal rules established by sovereigns, magistrates, or legislatures. The term appears in Latin texts from ancient Rome onward and is commonly encountered in medieval and early modern compilations of laws, where authors grouped enactments under the heading Statuta or wrote phrases such as statuta universalia, statuta particularia, depending on scope.

Etymology and scope: Statutum means that which has been laid down; statuta is its plural. In Roman law, rulers issued statuta as binding rules. In medieval Europe, princes, city councils, or church authorities issued statutes that were later preserved in codifications or legal commentaries. The form and content of statuta varied, ranging from procedural rules to substantive prohibitions, and sometimes to fiscal or administrative ordinances.

Modern usage: Today, the Latin word statuta is largely encountered in historical texts, philology, or in the titles of archival collections that publish a city’s or realm’s early laws. In contemporary legal practice, statutes and constitutions are typically described in the local language rather than as statuta, though the Latin term may appear in comparative law discussions or as a scholarly label for historical bodies of law.

See also: statute, codification, constitutional law, charter, legal history.